Diver Down (Mercy Watts Mysteries) (44 page)

“Why me?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
 

Cecile broke down and Philippa answered, “You’re going to Colorado. You’ll be right there.”

“And my dad is Tommy Watts.”
 

“If you were caught, he could get you out of it.”
 

“My dad’s a retired cop, that doesn’t make him the all-powerful Oz, although he thinks so.”
 

Cecile straightened up. “I can’t get caught. I’m the only parent they have left.”
 

“I’d do it,” said Odetta. “But I’ve got kids of my own. We need my income.”
 

“I offered,” said Philippa.
 

Cecile shook her head. “No. If you went to jail your mother couldn’t handle it.”
 

Philippa’s mom had early onset Alzheimer’s. When she was coherent, Philippa was the light of her life.
 

“And…you have the Bleds,” said Philippa.
 

I’d known Philippa since high school. She’d never once tried to use my connection to the Bled family for her own purposes and that was saying something. A lot of people had no such scruples. Myrtle and Millicent Bled were my godmothers and wealthy to the extent that most people couldn’t imagine. People were always contacting me trying to get to them. I knew how desperate the situation was if Philippa was willing to do it. I would’ve asked about other family members, but I imagined they would be in the same boat. Incomes were needed. Mothers and fathers were required. I, on the other hand, was single with an influential father and connected to one of the most powerful families in the state, if not the country. It had to be me. Plus, when Raptor found out, she would lose her damn mind. Raptor would owe me. It might be worth a stint in jail just for that alone. I didn’t know what my parents would say if I got caught, but I decided I didn’t care. Keegan wasn’t going to get brain damage, if I could help it. My parents would just have to deal.
 

“I’ll do it.”

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A.W. Hartoin is the author of the Mercy Watts mystery series and the Away From Whipplethorn fantasy series. She lives in Colorado with her husband, two children, and six bad chickens.